Media Releases

HANCOCK — Portage Health President and CEO Jim Bogan presented the healthcare organization's annual update to the community January 5 at Michigan Technological University in Houghton. Members of Portage Health's executive team reported to the crowd of 75 community leaders that Portage Health is performing better in a variety of ways than many of its benchmark organizations.

Chief Financial Officer Brian Donahue reported fiscal year operating revenue of $80,447,721 and operating expenses of $78,388,298 during fiscal year 2009. Patient bills are collected on average within 44 days, Donahue said, which is a much faster turnaround than many hospitals in Michigan and nationwide experience. "We are doing very well collecting our bills," he said.

Key initiatives were also undertaken in 2009 designed to improve patient satisfaction scores in six areas, said Betty MacInnes, Vice President for Quality Management. Those have resulted in higher scores in several units but particularly in the emergency department, which scored in the 98th percentile among its peer groups nationwide. "Only two percent of emergency departments nationwide with similar characteristics are doing better than us," she said. "That is phenomenal, especially when excellent scores in the emergency department are some of the most difficult to attain."

Vice President for Communications and Human Resources Karin Van Dyke reported Portage Health provided $8.8 million in community benefit programming during fiscal year 2009, and Bogan reported that despite a nationwide physician shortage, six new physicians were hired during 2009 in a variety of areas. Hiring new clinical staff will continue to remain one of Portage Health's primary goals for the immediate future, Bogan said. "If we need staff, we will hire staff to support the programs we currently offer and services we want to expand into," he said.